Common Name: African Alpine Bamboo

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General Information

African alpine bamboo is an evergreen, clump-forming bamboo with erect culms that are usually not closely clustered and can be up to 20 metres tall; growing from a short rhizome that is up to 10cm thick. The culms, which are up to 12.5 cm in diameter, are yellowish at maturity, hollow, thick-walled, many-noded and profusely branched[

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African alpine bamboo has a wide range of uses and is commonly harvested from the wild. It is of high local importance throughout its range, and in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda there is a consistent small supply of bamboo material and products being sent to markets that are remote from the source areas. The plant is frequently cultivated for its stems[

Known Hazards

Botanical References

Range

Habitat

Restricted to high elevations from 2,000 - 4,000 metres, this species is the characteristic and definitive dominant of Afromontane bamboo vegetation. It also occurs in abandoned fields and can form extensive pure stands[

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Properties

Edibility Rating

Other Uses Rating

Habit

Evergreen Bamboo

Height

20.00 m

Pollinators

Wind

Cultivation Status

Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of high elevations in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations from 2,000 - 4,000 metres. It is found in areas with cool growing conditions, with average annual temperatures in the range of 14 - 17°c; with an average monthly maximum temperatures are 13 - 32°c; and average monthly minimum temperatures that range from -4°c to 11°c, implying that some populations tolerate frost. Rainfall is seasonal, with 3 - 6 dry months (where the mean rainfall is less than 50mm) in eastern Africa, but only 2 dry months in Cameroon. Annual rainfall totals vary from 800mm in Tanzania to 2,000mm in Ethiopia and 3,000mm in Cameroon[

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The climate requirements of the plant over-ride its soil type requirements, it being found growing on impoverished ferralsols, moderately fertile cambisols, and richer andosols and nitisols. Well-drained humus-rich soil on gentle slopes and in ravines, with space for vigorous rhizome development, allows luxuriant growth, whilst on shallow soils and rocky ground individuals are stunted[

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Afromontane bamboo forest has been described as a climax formation, but burnt forest tree stumps within Sinarundinaria alpina stands have been interpreted as evidence of a fire-induced community. Another view treats the species as a light-demanding pioneer forming populations maintained by large herbivore activity[

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Although nursery seedlings have been raised in Kenya, there is no published description of the germination and initial growth of African alpine bamboo. Small plants, consisting entirely of new shoots, form loose, but discrete, clumps. With time, stems at the centre die and disappear, while new stems are added at the periphery. Repeated exposure to fire causes mortality of young peripheral rhizomes and concentration of new shoots close to older ones, maintaining relatively compact clumps[

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The annual growth cycle involves the development of new stems at rhizome apices where growth is activated when the rainy season starts. New stems reach full height in 2 - 4 months and form branches in the following year. By the fourth year of growth the stems are glabrous and sufficiently rigid for use as poles[

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Estimates of the interval between flowering events vary from 15 years (Mount Elgon, Kenya) to 40 years (Aberdares Range, Kenya). Flowering may be synchronous in patches several hectares in extent within a population[

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Stems must be full-sized and at least 3 years old before they can be exploited for structural use, and numbers must accumulate to levels making harvesting worthwhile, so felling cycles of 14 - 21 years have been recommended. This cycle can be reduced to 5 - 6 years on good sites if modest yields are acceptable and 50% of the mature stems are retained[

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The dry weight of a standing crop of stems of well-stocked stands in Masha, Ethiopia has been estimated at 51 tonnes per hectare, and in Kenya at 97 tonnes. With a 5-year cutting cycle exploiting only mature stems, representing 20% of the number of stems present, a potential yield of 10 tonnes per hectare per year has been estimated for Ethiopia. Better management might raise this to 15 tonnes per year[

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Other Uses

The stems have a wide range of applications. The whole stems are used for hut construction, particularly as rafters, and for fencing - in some areas entire villages are constructed using this bamboo. The stems are also used as water pipes - in the 1980's bamboo water pipes supplied water to around 100,000 people[

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]. Dried stems used in construction and fencing are susceptible to infestation by the powder-post beetle Dinoderus minutus. Nevertheless, the stems are considered durable and houses and fences made from them in DR Congo are said to last for more than 20 years[

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]. Bamboo seeds in general can often be germinated by sowing the seed in a good compost in containers as soon as it is ripe; only just covering the seed with compost; watering it in well but being careful not to wash the seed away; and then placing the container in a lightly shaded position[

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In parts of Ethiopia and Uganda offsets are often planted. In experiments in Kenya, there has been successful use of offsets (single stems shortened to 60 cm, with attached rhizome), clump division (groups of 5 stems shortened to 60 cm, with the parent rhizome) and 20 cm lengths of rhizome. Offsets with stems produced in the previous growing season are preferred. Stem cuttings have not produced shoots, not even after treatment with rooting compounds[